So, in this adventure, I'm going to recap my experience with the External Cephalic Version (ECV). An EVC is there the doctor uses their hands on the outside of your belly to try to manipulate the baby into a head down position.
My regular Ob/Gyn had suggested trying the ECV process in hopes to avoid a C-section. He sent me to a perinatal specialist for high risk pregnancies. I've not really been considered high risk for this pregnancy except for my "advance maternal age" and my Gestational Diabetes (GD). I had seen the high risk group of doctors when I was pregnant with Montana, so I was familiar with the group.
The day before my ECV I had an ultrasound to check the position, size and amount of fluid around the baby. All in all, I was a very good candidate for the procedure. This is not my first child, so my uterus would be more flexible and the baby is actually measuring small (kinda rare for GD). This doctor's office has a success rate of 60-70% of the baby turning. They also have about a 1% chance of the procedure ending up in an emergency C-section. I figured those were pretty good odds, so I went with it. I was scheduled for 8:00am the next morning.
I showed up at 8:05am for the procedure (we forgot to account for morning traffic). Apparently, they expected me there at 6:00am, too bad they didn't tell me that. It was not a big deal and they proceeded to take me to the OR prep area. They connected me to an Non-Stress Test (NST) monitor. They were basically checking the baby's heart rate and to see if I was having any contractions. Then they started looking for a vein to stick the IV. I was not allowed to have any fluids or food after midnight the night before, so I was dehydrated and apparently my veins were very small. The nurse stuck me in the top of the left hand and crapped out that vein. 10 hours later it still has a large knot and is bruised. That hurt really bad and it felt like she tried to connect my IV with a garden hose. My husband said that it looked like I was going to punch the nurse. She decided to let a different nurse try the second stick. Let me tell you, that second nurse is a pro.
The resident doctor came in and starting talking about what was going to happen, the risks and an epidural. I almost stopped everything right there. I was previously assured that I was not going to have an epidural. I'm going to have them poking in my spine in about a week anyway, I did NOT want an epidural for this. I explained this to the resident. She seemed a bit confused and stated that usually they use an epidural but not always (I think she was covering her tracks). But she checked with the main doctor and they confirmed they would not be using any medication. Of course, when you start hearing all of the risks out loud you start getting nervous. But, I wanted to at least try it and I knew I could stop the procedure at anytime.
So here's how it went. They use an ultrasound machine to confirm size, fluid and position of the baby. There are two doctors that work on this procedure together. They lube you up with a lot of gel then push down hard on the lower belly to try to lift the baby up and out of the pelvis. They then take one hand by the baby's head and another hand around his little butt and they start trying to rotate him. My husband said it when they lift the baby out of the pelvis he could see the outline of the baby for the most part. They tried to spin him one way and when that didn't work they tried to get him to spin the other way. The doctors would stop now and then to check the baby's heart rate and to confirm position. He would move about 45 degrees in either position, but he ended up just going back and sitting in the pelvis again. We monitored the baby for approximately 90 minutes after the procedure, and all was well. So in this case the ECV was unsuccessful.
Before I did this, I was asking different forums and my friends on Facebook about this procedure. I received a lot of negative responses about the procedure, but I guess I never really saw enough negative to make me not try it. So below I'm going to answer basically my own questions:
- How does the ECV feel? This is kind of hard to explain. It's not comfortable, but it's not really painful. There were moments when there would be pressure in a particular spot and my reflex was just to grab whatever was close. My botched IV stick was much worse than the procedure and I got a charlie horse in my right calf during the procedure that hurt more. I found it helpful to control breathing and imagine a "happy place". My personal happy place was mushroom hunting. All in all, I think hard labor pains hurt more. I do not feel, any pain medication is necessary for the procedure.
- Would I do it again? Though my particular procedure was unsuccessful, I would do it again. However, I personally feel I would not attempt it more than once per pregnancy. My little guy was not distressed at all, but some babies are. If the ECV is going to work it's going to work rather easily and the first time. I don't think it helps anyone to continue to do it multiple times for the same pregnancy.
- How do you feel afterwards? I feel a bit sore. I was told to expect some bruising on the belly. I personally did not get bruised during the procedure.
- What signs should I look for after the procedure, that there is a problem and what should I do? Basically, you should look for anything that would send you to the hospital whether the procedure was done or not. If you have bleeding, water breaking or contractions, call your doctor and head to the hospital.
- The ECV didn't work. What else can I try? I'm trying techniques on www.spinningbabies.com . I'm also going to look for a chiropractor that does the Webster Breech Technique.
Here comes my disclaimer. I am not a health professional and I am not qualified to give any health advise. This is simply my own personal experience. If you are thinking of doing any of these procedures please contact and discuss this with your health provider.
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